Jacobs, G. M. (2002, June). [Review of The fate of
progressive language policies and practices]. TESOLers
for Social Responsibility Newsletter, 3(1), 10.
Dudley-Marling, C. & Edelsky, C. (Eds.)
(2001). The fate of progressive
language policies and practices.
This
book is similar to the 1999 collection edited by Edelsky
and also published by the National Council of Teachers of English (USA). The
current volume is composed mostly of stories by language educators of their
attempts to implement progressive language teaching and policies and what
happened to those attempts.
These
stories offer a number of lessons which might be of use to TSR members and
colleagues.
1. Take a whole-school (or even
wider) approach to change
2. Set up collaborations
between schools and universities
3. Build connections with
administrators at various levels and with curriculum developers
4. Pay attention to curriculum
and policy development at local, regional, and national levels
5. Be aware of the local
particularities of every situation and avoid cookbook implementation
6. Have a clear focus and make
sure that focus is shared with everyone, e.g., via clear, concise,
well-researched policy papers
7. Allocate sufficient time and
other resources whenever starting a new school or program
8. Involve as many people as
possible in the formulation and planning of such initiatives
9. Consider whether key
constituencies are ready for change
10. Communicate with and educate
all stakeholders including students, e.g., build personal relationships with
families of students
11. Do not underestimate the
power of discredited ideas to live on, even in the minds of those trying
hardest to reject them
12. Prepare for the inevitable
departure of valued people in educational institutions and organizations
13. Welcome dissenting views
14. Work against prejudice,
e.g., racism, and toward equality amongst colleagues and all participants
15. Expect that progressive
education will be attacked; the public should be ‘inoculated’ against these
attacks
16. Use public pressure, e.g.,
demonstrations and the press, to work for change
17. Evaluate learning and build
a repertoire of evidence in defense of progressive ideas – and report these
regularly - while at the same time recognizing the need for ongoing improvement
18. Focus people’s attention on
basic aims and values in education; these should be among the measuring sticks
used in evaluation
19. Become articulate at
describing and explaining progressive changes
20. Think long-term; be ready
for setbacks